It is standard practice in the manufacture of almost all recreational and other boats that are designed to be repeatedly removed from the water for storage or transport, such as sailboats, motorboats, and some fishing boats, to include a drain hole formed in their transom. The purpose of a drain hole is to permit drainage of bilge water. The drain hole is typically located near the lower portion of the transom and somewhat proximate the boat hull. The purpose of the drain hole is to facilitate water removal from the boat either when removed from the water altogether, or at speeds when the water is incapable of entering into the boat through the drain hole.
A boat plug or drain plug is used to selectively open and close the drain hole, and is configured to seal the drain hole prior to placing the boat into the water, thus preventing water from flowing into the boat. When such a drain plug is not properly installed, water can quickly flow into the boat through the drain hole, possibly sinking the boat, or at least decreasing the performance of the boat depending upon the amount of water allowed to enter the boat.
There are several different types of drain plugs, with perhaps the most common drain plug being made of a non-corrosive metal and comprising a lower end portion and an upper head. The lower end portion comprises externally threaded cylindrical sidewalls configured to be inserted or screwed into the drain hole or into a drain hole insert fittable within the drain hole designed to receive the drain plug. The upper head is typically square, similar to a bolt head, so as to be able to receive a wrench for easy removal and securing of the drain plug. Drain plugs often have a square end, similar to a bolt head, opposite the threaded end and can be installed and removed with a wrench.
One of the more common problems associated with drain plugs is that they are easily lost or misplaced. Because drain plugs are relatively small, often measuring less than an inch in length and diameter, it is not uncommon for boat owners to lose or misplace these at some point. Thus, while a drain hole and drain plug provide a simple and effective solution to the problem of removing bilge water from a boat, there remains the problem of what to do with the drain plug when it is not in use. Prior related devices or systems have attempted to solve this problem by providing means designed to tether the drain plug to the transom of the boat. The problem with tethering the drain plug to the transom is that the tether is typically located adjacent and drain hole and is therefore out of sight. While this helps to keep track of the drain plug, the boat owner still must remember to remove and/or secure the drain plug as there is nothing to remind the boat owner of this task. Indeed, although providing a drain hole is important for the reasons discussed above, one of the more significant problems is remembering to remove and/or secure the drain plug at the appropriate times. Other systems or devices have attempted to solve the problem by providing a wrench that is capable of removably receiving and securing the drain plug to its body or other portion. However, coupling the drain plug to the wrench, without more, does little to solve the problem as the wrench is typically stored in a tool box or other container out of sight, or may itself get lost or misplaced.
A more significant problem associated with drain plugs is forgetting to remove and/or secure the drain plug at the appropriate time. Due to their small size and the rather discrete, but necessary, location of the drain hole designed to receive the drain plug, it is not uncommon for boat owners to forget to either remove the drain plug upon removing the boat from the water, or worse, to replace or secure the drain plug in the drain hole prior to launching the boat into the water. Each of these inadvertent acts can be costly to the boat owner. For instance, launching a boat without the drain plug properly secured in the drain hole will cause the boat to quickly fill with water and possibly sink. On the other hand, if the drain plug is not removed when the boat is taken out of the water, there runs a risk of damaging the boat.
Based on the foregoing, in order to prevent the risk of sinking a boat upon launching and to prevent damage to a boat or its contents when the boat is out of the water, it is desirable to provide a system for reminding a boat owner to install or remove the drain plug from the drain hole at the appropriate times. It is also desirable to provide a system for facilitating the removal and securing of the drain plug, as well as for retaining the drain plug when not in use.